Lakewood had a game point at 24-23 in game four, but Santa Margarita was able to win three consecutive points to finish off the Lancers.

“Their serving seemed to be the difference tonight,” Lakewood coach Mike Wadley said. “(Brenna Cygan) served very well. We were up 13-10 in game two and we didn’t get the ball back until 20-13 because of that serve.”

Jazmine Orozco led Lakewood with 10 kills, four blocks and an ace. Although disappointed, she said she is looking forward to the nucleus coming back next season.

“We dug ourselves too many holes and weren’t able to get out of them tonight, but we’re excited about what we have coming back,” Orozco said.

Taylor Hollins had five kills and three aces and kept Santa Margarita on the defensive with a hard serve.

Said Wadley: “Taylor got us a lot of points. She’s our jack of all trades and stepped up tonight.”

“We felt a lot of pressure as defending state champions and I just don’t think we took them as seriously as we should have after beating them last time out,” Hollins said.

Megan Moenoa had five kills and Tyler Jackson chipped in with eight kills for Lakewood.

“This was the third time we played and knew we’d have to play well to get out of here with a win,” Santa Margarita coach Cristy Chapman-Uhrig said. “The Moore League is the toughest league around and winning here at Lakewood is very difficult. They served very well.”